Cyclones Take on West Virginia in "Dig Pink" Match

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State volleyball team (9-5, 3-1 Big 12) are home again for a contest against West Virginia (15-3, 2-2 Big 12) Wednesday Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum at 4 p.m. The match is ISU's "Dig Pink" match for breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match.

The match will be shown on Cyclones.tv and Cyclones.TV Powered by Mediacom. Live stats will be available through Cyclones.com and a live blog will be hosted during the match.

Cyclone Headlines

Iowa State has a chance to get into a tie for second place in the Big 12 Saturday against West Virginia.

The Cyclones are 3-1 in Big 12 play after sweeping Kansas State Wednesday night in Hilton Coliseum. The victory improved Iowa State’s overall record to 9-5 on the season.

The ISU victory came on the back of a strong defensive performance which included 64 digs in the three-set match, the most by a Big 12 team in any match this season. Kristen Hahn led the Cyclones with 20 digs, Ciara Capezio chipped in 12 digs and Mackenzie Bigbee and Jenelle Hudson each posted 10 digs.

Bigbee has been on a tear since the start of Big 12 play, when she transitioned into playing all six rotations. In conference play, Bigbee is averaging 3.93 kills per set at a .325 hitting percentage and 2.93 digs per set. She has had at least 10 digs in the last three matches.

Kristen Hahn had a career-high 39 digs in a losing effort at Oklahoma. She now ranks third in Iowa State history in career digs and 10th in Big 12 history.

Four of Iowa State’s five losses have come to teams with an RPI in the top-25. Nebraska (No. 7) and San Diego (No. 8) are each in the top-10 with Oklahoma (No. 19) and Illinois (No. 22). ISU’s other loss is to RPI No. 40 St. Mary’s.

The Cyclones also started the 2012 season 5-4 after nine matches. Iowa State went on to a 22-8 and made its fifth trip to the NCAA Regional Semifinals in the last six seasons.

As a team, Iowa State leads the Big 12 with 1.62 service aces per set. Tory Knuth is the Big 12’s top server with 0.44 aces per set, and Kristen Hahn leads the league with 5.76 digs per set.

Senior libero Kristen Hahn has proven herself as one of the best players in the nation, and she has the stats to back it up with a team-high 288 digs at 5.76 digs per set, first in the Big 12 and fifth nationally.

Hahn won her 14th career Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week award for her efforts agaisnt Baylor.

About West Virginia

The West Virginia Mountaineers come into Hilton Coliseum with the most wins among Big 12 teams this season with a 15-3 record and 2-2 in Big 12 play.

After not winning a Big 12 match in its debut season in the conference, WVU opened 2013 conference play with a four-set victory over Kansas State. They also have a four-set win at Texas Tech this season.

West Virginia fell at home on Wednesday to Baylor in three sets. Jordan Anderson led the WVU attack with 17 kills and Hannah Sackett posted 12 kills.

Anderson has been one of the top freshmen in the Big 12 this season. She leads the Big 12 with 3.98 kills per set and has also posted 2.84 digs per set.

The Mountaineers have one of the most active setters in the league in Brittany Sample. A sophomore, Sample has 50 kills on the season, inculding five against Baylor, and averages 10.47 assists per set and 2.64 digs per set.

Iowa State leads the all-time series against WVU 5-1, including three straight wins. Last season, the Cyclones earned 3-0 sweeps in both matches. Mackenzie Bigbee and Victoria Hurtt combined for 18 kills apiece across the two meetings.